March 6, 2015

It was with great sorrow that I learned of the loss of BWISP member Mike Marqusee, who died in January after a long illness. I did not have the privilege of meeting Mike, whose premature departure deprives his loved ones of a precious partner, brother and friend, but both the legacy of his work and his obituary in The Guardian make it clear that we have all lost a marvellous and deeply principled writer, poet and intellectual. A footloose American, Mike’s interests ranged from cricket and British labour history to Renaissance art and Indian culture, while his memoir If I Am Not for Myself: Journey of an Anti-Zionist Jew (Verso, 2008) remains an outstanding contribution to the struggle to bring about a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. BWISP is thankful for Mike’s support of the cultural and academic boycott of Israel, and will remain forever proud to count him among our number. On behalf of the group, I send our condolences to his family and friends.